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I suppose it's rather.
Shall I say difficult for us in a meeting like this, because here we are as brothers commenting on this chapter, which is writing proper according to God's Word, and yet we are speaking not only to ourselves, but to our wives.
But the Word of God addresses both, doesn't it? And it's interesting that when God addresses those in a place of submission and those in positions of responsibility and authority, almost invariably he addresses those in submission first. Wives before husbands, children before parents, servants before masters, and so on.
And I suppose the reason for that is that God expects.
That if we are in a position to submit, we should do so without particular reference as to whether the authority is always exercised in the right way.
But to balance things out, I can still remember the comment of a dear brother in our written ministry. I think it was Mr. Wigram and it stuck with me. I read it many years ago and he said that in his experience and observation that whenever God sets up a sphere of authority or a sphere in which authority is exercised.
That if there is failure and confusion within that sphere, it is usually the member in authority that has failed first.
Now I don't say that that is invariably so, nor can we take that, as shall we say, coming from the Word of God. But I have to say in my limited observation and experience that He was right. And so I suggest to my own heart, as I suggest to each one of us, that in what we have before us here, it is incumbent on each one.
To read his or her own mail.
I've had the occasion from time to time and it's not a happy thing.
To speak to husbands and sometimes wives who are having serious trouble in their marriages and it's very humbling because.
Under those circumstances, it makes me very much aware of my own shortcomings. But generally speaking, the accusations fly thick and fast and it's always well, she did this or she did that, or he doesn't do this or he doesn't do that, or something like that.
And many times I have had to remind them and remind myself. Read your own mail and act on it.
And you will find that generally speaking, the Lord will look after the rest.
These are very serious things, but it's wonderful the way God puts it here. And I know others will go into it in more depth than this, but I mentioned those things at the beginning because very often there's a tendency for me to want to apply something to my wife when really I ought to be reading what the Scripture says to me. And there can be the tendency for the wife to want to apply to her husband what it says to him, when really she should be reading what Scripture says to her.
The woman's place is in the home and, uh, in World War 2 when all the young men had to go out to, to war, who's going to take care of the factories and everyone else? Well, the woman, the women came in and they got a taste of that and Satan knows exactly how to upset things and, uh.
Once you got a taste of that, she preferred that many times to the home and her place is in the home. And if she fails in her place, it's really the husband's fault. That's what you were saying. But uh, Satan knows that the, the, the stronghold of the family is, is, uh, is the man and the woman.
00:05:09
And uh.
Uh, if you can just break that somehow, some way, which he has succeeded, uh, uh, he has destroyed one of the most important.
Things there is established of God, that's the family, the home, and then the kids get farmed out to some, uh, someone else or another school or whatever it might be and, uh.
The family is gone.
There were two great institutions set up and established by God for the blessing of man on the earth. The first was the family. The second was the assembly. And I suppose that the enemy, being opposed to everything that God has set up and established on earth for the blessing of man, has always been busy from the very beginning, to tear down and destroy it, if he can. And when was there ever a day when the enemy has been as busy to destroy not only the home, but the Christian home?
Because the enemy of our soul, Satan, understands that if he can attack the Christian home.
The assembly is no more than the individuals and families that make up the assembly.
And so he gets to the very heart of the matter, the very core of the matter, and he seeks to destroy the home. But it's important to realize that God has set up authority, as I say, on the earth, various levels of authority for the blessing of man. Sometimes authority is looked at today and submission and so on as a hard thing. And there's a tendency, naturally speaking, we don't like to be under a yoke. We don't like to be under authority. The natural man doesn't like to submit. He wants his own way and so on.
But what man has failed to realize is that much of the turmoil that is in the world today in the society which we live is because there has been the breakdown and the turning aside from the authority that God has set up. But it really it's not God doesn't mean it to be a hard thing. He means it to be for the blessing of man. And that's why he takes it up in in this chapter and he goes on. He's got we won't get to it, but he talks about children and parents in the next chapter.
Servants and masters, as we would say today, employers and employees and so on, all these things are for the good of man. And when, when these things are exercised in their proper way, then there is a happy, uh, there. There's happiness for the individuals who are involved. But it's not a hard thing. It's for man's blessing. The woman really doesn't want to be the head. She wants to look up to her man to be the head.
That's that's that's natural.
The the child wants to look up to daddy and mommy to guide them. The servant wants to look to his master as to how he's concerned in a pleasing way. Umm, and to change that order. I mean, what is the MO? What does the woman really want from her husband? He wants, she wants his love. She really wants his love. And what does he want from her? Her submission. And when that is done?
It, it works fine. The child really wants to obey the parents, but it doesn't look like that because everything is. So you send the kids off into, uh, some school as a training place and, and uh, you've destroyed the family in order. But when the daddy comes home from work, the child wants to, wants to be with daddy and he reached them to them and so on.
Umm, that's, that's normal, that's normal. That's, that's not abnormal. And Satan knows that and he's, he's a master at destroying God's order.
Had a father who had a broken home and living alone say to me about his boys. He said, well, I don't suppose my boys will ever wanna have a normal marriage relationship. They've seen so much disorder in in in their parents family that and he was bemoaning this and it's true. Umm, when we do not practice these things of this, these verses here and disorder comes in and.
Breakups and problems result. It has an effect on the children if they aren't there, and it has effect on all the other people. But I would like to suggest too that this is even above all of that. The whole purpose of this, these verses here are to show us the relationship of Christ and the church and to teach us about that and the proper order and where you have a happy marriage and where you have.
00:10:27
Submission and love practice as it should be. It is a beautiful display of what God intended not only marriage to be, but what God intended Christ and his church to be portrayed to the world and those about us. And so it really gives us an added motive in considering this subject to think of what we're really portraying when we obey these verses.
When we follow, when the wives are submissive to their husbands, we see a beautiful example of what the church ought to be to Christ and so on, the love as as a husband to his wife in the same manner. And so, umm, I know I, if you go to a, a wedding and where it's a Christian wedding and verses like these are red, we, we really enjoy, uh, that happy occasion, not just in the sense that it was.
A beautiful bride and groom and how happy they're starting out their lives together and, and, and all but every time I go to a Christian wedding, I, I fall in love with the Lord all over again, as it were and, and I, I am encouraged to realize how how much the Lord cares for me as, as my bridegroom and so on. And this gives this gives us a real.
Motive for fulfilling these uh.
These umm.
Requirements or these, uh, this Christian order given to us here. MMM Brazil, but she talked about.
That the leader is the one that sets the course, sets the steps, the marching in the home or in any organization. When you study leaders, you study any book about leaders where they have good information about it. Guess who the buck stops with when there's trouble, when there's problems, it's the leader. He's the one that has the answer. When a leader, the father in a home is loving and kind and walks with the Lord.
We often see a home that displays love and kindness in return from the children. From the wife. It becomes easy to follow a man who is kind and loving towards you. A father who does not provoke his children to wrath. A father who does not pro broke, a husband who does not provoke his wife to rap. They're our homes where it's upside down, where the father has the children.
And the wife under his thumb to keep them as he thinks in their place. That is not in accordance with this scripture at all, but a kind, loving leader. Not a girly man, because there are too many of them today too, but a real man of God who walks with the Lord, who loves the Lord and displays kindness and a heart. He will have a wife and children who are more likely to follow him because grace.
In a heart filled with Christ is a lovely thing, an attractive thing to follow.
Yeah, this morning, uh, this morning, uh, brother read in Exodus chapter 21. I believe in that chapter, it gave us a very nice godly order as to how a man ought to walk and how they ought to behave. If we can turn to that, just for a quick reference there Book of Exodus chapter 21.
We read about that Hebrew servants there. Just going to turn to one verse in verse 5.
That verse is says and if the servant shall plainly say, now listen to what he says here, I love my master, my wife and my children, I will not go out free. Very simple verse here. I love my master, my wife and my children. I believe that is the godly order given in here. Sometimes we hear one would say he loved his wife more that hinder him from other things.
No, here it says I love my Master. The Master come first. I heard a problem in family and in the assembly they said, well, my children wouldn't want me to do that. Well, is that the godly order I love my Master do We obeyed what our Master has set for us first. Now does that mean I don't love my children anymore? No, it's the proper order, my master first my wife and then my children.
00:15:26
Hmm, very good.
Submission is not to be subservient either. And I, I think we need to keep it in, in what it is. And I want to repeat that to be submissive is not to be subservient. And I've sometimes said when speaking at a wedding that when Eve was taken from Adam and formed, she was taken from his side. She wasn't taken from his head to be over him. She wasn't taken from his feet to be under him. She was taken from his side, close to his heart, but to be at his side because the woman has a very wonderful place, especially in Christianity.
In fact, it's Christianity that has given the woman, has given a woman a place that she never enjoyed in the Old Testament, even under Judaism. And some of us have had opportunity to travel in lands where something other than Christianity is the profession of the day. And you see there that women do not enjoy the privileges that they do in Christianity. And that's why I said earlier that God has these disorder for the blessing.
Of man on the earth for the blessing of his creature here. And the reason that there's so much difficulty and sorrow and turmoil in society is because man has stepped out. Men and women have stepped out of their position. They felt it's hard. They felt it's restrictive. But submission is not to be subservient. And a wife, a wife's place is that her husband's side and close to his heart.
In Genesis 2, umm.
472 verse 18 and the Lord God said it is not good. I will make him an help a little louder, please. Uh, Genesis 218 and where God says I will make and help me for him. And so we see thee, I believe thee. The question now it should be a partnership.
It's not, as you say, a subservient relationship. Umm. Nevertheless, of course there may be times when.
Despite being the prayer before the Lord concerning the matter, there may still be some difference of opinion between the husband and the wife. And under those circumstances, it says here, why submit yourself unto your own husbands as unto the Lord, recognizing that the husband has a responsibility to the Lord. And so we umm, uh, there there is that chain of responsibility that we get there, but.
Just remember our wives are giving to us to help as helpless. They are not given to us in a as you said, subservient relationship.
Abraham was told by the Lord to listen to his wife.
I was thinking of that very incident, David, and I think it's helpful because on one occasion he didn't exercise his headship and it got him into a great deal of trouble. And the people of God have suffered for it. God's earthly people have suffered for it. And there's still turmoil in the Middle East today because he didn't exercise his headship. But it's interesting that it's after that he's told to listen, to hearken unto Sarah, thy wife, and all that she says unto thee.
Because it wasn't a question of his headship there, it was a question of her discernment. And there arose the situation where she had more discernment in a matter than he did, and he was told to listen to it. But I wanna read a verse in First Corinthians 11. Connection with what we've been saying here, what you've just said, First Corinthians 11.
And verse 3.
But I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ.
And the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God. And here we have a fair, the proper order. And I've said this many times, I'm gonna repeat it because sometimes when I'm visiting in homes, especially over the kitchen table or something like that, I see this little model. Christ is the head of this home. That is not a scriptural expression. Christ is the head of the man. The man is the head of the home. So we need to keep these in their proper things, in their proper order.
00:20:19
I would like to repeat what's already been said.
So pardon me, but it is it is interesting and and and we should just emphasize it again that here where it speaks of husbands and wives is in this passage that the Lord uses to speak of Christ in the Church. And I don't think we can under emphasize that.
And we look around because in a second I want to talk about problems because that's very important. But we look around and as we see failures in our own marriages and marriages around us, we know or we should know that this is going to.
Disturb the assembly. Now that's not the only type of failure that disturbs the assembly, because anything I do at any level in my life.
Whether it's work or otherwise is going to have an impact on the assembly. You say, well, sorry, that's, you're stretching it there, but I don't believe I am. And the attitude that we have the things, the, the way that we manage things in, uh, our secular life and so forth is sooner or later gonna come back and have an effect in the assembly. And so the way that we behave at home.
Whether if I'm younger, how I behave as a young person, whether I'm older, how I behave as a wife or as a husband, these things are going to sooner or later have their impact in the assembly. And so I'm not exactly fond of the expression practical ministry, because I would like someone to point out to me some ministry that's from Scripture that's not practical. So I, I, I, I don't like that term, but.
We do use it. We kind of understand what we mean by it, but perhaps there's some reasonable advice that can be helpful to us.
You know, we are different as women and as men and of course across the room and probably in back of me somewhere. So someone is going ease up, but.
We we should recognize some very, very interesting differences in Mr. Hendricks has pointed out twice in the course of these meetings that the woman once loved. And I think that that's really important. And that's not to say that guy doesn't want love also, but it seems like one thing that seems to be pretty important to a man is to have that respect. And it's almost a a a.
Sending them to this submission or being in subjection, it is a showing of respect.
And, you know, we go to school and we learn about positive reinforcement. And so the guy comes home and says, I'm gonna really use this positive reinforcement stuff, and I understand it. And so he says, thank you, sweetheart, for cleaning the house today.
You know.
That doesn't mean a lot to a woman, I'm sorry to say. Not sorry to say, but but just, it just is that way.
And, and we learn about this positive reinforcement thing and, and, and we don't seem to distinguish between men and women. And, and because a woman wants to hear, sweetheart, I love you. And then sweetheart, you're pretty.
Or something else as #2 not as the first thing. Positive reinforcement is not really changed behavior.
Of a woman because it is not what they're listening to.
Not what they're listening to.
Now a guy.
He wants to hear the front yard looks good.
Hey.
And because because as a head, he is responsible for accomplishing things.
And if those things are accomplished and mentioned and appreciated, then that is listened to.
And, uh, guys, I, I kind of hesitate to speak for the women because I don't feel that.
00:25:02
As a woman does. But I can say as a guy that those are the kinds of things. And that's why when a man loses a job.
We had a situation, Bonnie said. Well, good, this is a chance to go to Yosemite. We can now take off for a few days, but it doesn't work that way.
Because I had to find a job. And that that is what makes us tick. We're ahead. That means that we need to accomplish things and that's how we think and respond.
You know, there's lots of things that start way back in in the romance things, and I might as well mention that too because there's a lot of young folks here. You might as well get going on the right step.
The young lady figures that the man is going to change.
And the young man figures that the woman is not going to change.
And they're both wrong. They're both wrong, but you think we think differently and and and we better respect the way that that we think and along the line of thinking differently.
Let's bring up one more very very important thing and it goes like this if he loved me he would know what I wanted.
And then we say the exact same thing. If my wife loved me she would know what I wanted and that is way off base. Imagine if God looked at us and sent us an empty and blank book saying.
If those people down there really loved me, they would know what I thought and what I wanted. But he doesn't. He sends us a book that is full of what not his requirements, but what he's thinking. And so we need to tell each other what we're thinking, actually what we're thinking, and not assume that that the other person magically knows what we're thinking. Because they don't. They can't. That's not even possible.
So there's there's quite many other things that that people can contribute wisely, but I do want to mention problems.
Because this is very real. We were talking about this on the way here even.
And I mentioned some years in our marriage year #5 year #7 year #12 are very commonly worldly or Christian are very difficult years in marriages.
And.
A little addition was made there.
By my wife and she said probably the most critical time is, quite frankly, the first couple weeks.
If you're a Christian.
And you get married.
Some of the first things that you should do is to read your Bible and pray together. And if these very simple habits are not started in the first couple hours, quite frankly, but certainly in the first couple of weeks.
You're not gonna make it. Year five and year seven and year 12 are gonna be potentially disastrous for you.
So we need to.
Be on the right step. And so let's say that we do get into trouble, and a lot of marriages among Christians are in trouble. And we go to this chapter and we say, Lord help us.
Let's read this chapter together and let's learn from it. And you know, I might pull away and say, you know, if I get my head together and I love my wife, she will respect me.
Don't expect that.
Sorry, but don't take it as an expected goal. You love your wife because that's what God wants you to do.
That's where we leave it because this is instruction from Scripture. And on the other hand, which is really I think a little more common, is a young woman and sometimes an older woman because our marriage is in trouble. I will be in subjection, I will be more submissive, and then he will love me.
Don't expect that.
It's not an expected goal from those two things. We do these things because the Lord shows this as the way to function in a marriage. Will the Lord work things out? Yes, if we're submitted to Him. Both of us submitted to him. Let me give you an example of of again, this goes to Abraham and Sarah and it's in the book of Peter. She called him Lord.
00:30:16
Read that whole passage. I wanted to read it, so let me go ahead and read it.
To seven.
28.
Likewise you wives be in subjection to your own husband, that if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives, while they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Whose adorning? Let it not be that outward adorning of placing the hair, and of wearing of gold, or putting on of apparel, but let it be the hidden man of the hearts, and that which is not corruptible, even the ornaments of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great Christ.
Which is a very special word, I might add a great price. For after this manner in the old time, the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorn themselves, being in subjection unto their own husband, even as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord, whose daughters ye are, as long as you do well and are not afraid of any amazement. Likewise ye husbands dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together the grace of life.
That your prayers be not hindered.
And in, uh, uh, verse one, but I was thinking of the expression, especially from uh, verse 6, where she called him Lord. It is not necessarily a guarantee that it's going to elicit a response from the husband. It may, and it gives that in verse three, as it does also in Corinthians, that they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wise, but it's not.
It's not an A goes to B goes to C type situation, 100% of the cases. But yet in 100% of the cases that this is followed, God will give his due reward in his own way and say with the husband in verse seven, he is to give honor to the wife. He is to give honor to the wife, and yet it doesn't say directly that he's going to, uh, to get a particular reward from the wife for doing that.
Their prayers, uh, there's encouragement in connection with prayers, but again, that's with the Lord. It's left with the Lord to follow the Lord and to act properly as a husband will have its own due reward. And you know that due reward may not be.
The respect from your wife it may not be and that doesn't mean I go ahead and stop loving my wife. Imagine if the Lord Jesus.
And said I really want to show my love to all those people down there. I'm going to wait for their submission and subjection first and then I'll really show them love.
Well, thankfully God doesn't think that way. And we ponder the incredible love that the Lord Jesus has shown us. And yet let us think as men.
That the Lord Jesus has shown us incredible love. Have we always responded in quietness as men? Quietness and submission to our Lord and Savior who leads us. And the answer is no, we have not. And yet we sometimes expect that of our lives. We expect for our lives more than our own response to our Savior.
So.
Uh, there, there's a lot of, lot of things and it's, it's, it's nice to hear these things among us Christians and in the assembly, quote UN quote, I'm afraid that we are needed to go outside of our common acquaintance of Christians to get help. And there's reasons for that. One of them is fear factor. The other is peer pressure, and the other is gossip.
But there's lots of other factors too. But, but we need to, to hear these kinds of things from the mouths of our parents. We need to hear these things from the godly women who are older among us, as they're instructed to teach the younger women. And we need to hear from the older men, uh, these things that are what we commonly call practical, but encouraging and helpful to realize that.
00:35:15
We do have problems, let's not, let's not pretend otherwise, but God has answers and we need to follow through on his, his way of bringing of solutions. I think it's very important that, as you said, the husband and wife together should pray and read the Word of God.
The opinions of men not are, are not.
Important, but what God says is important, and she should hearken to what he says to her, and he to him, and together they should seek to carry this out.
Umm, the women, the way the world goes, they're always dialing up the female sex, make them look pretty and so on. But Peter says no, not that. What does he say? He says, uh.
Uh, it says be clothed with this is one of the chief shepherds shall appear ye shall receive a crown of glory that fate. It's not a way he's talking to the women. Likewise, you younger submit yourselves unto the elder ye all of you be subject to one another and be clothed with humility for God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God.
That he may exalt you in due time. So it's it's instruction.
To the to both the man and the woman. But it's not an outward thing. It's, you might say, it's an inward thing.
Quick word here and I hope it's appropriate. I think one of the key things.
In marriage and making it work, if you will.
For believers particularly, it is recognizing that God has said what he's joined together. Let's not man put asunder.
And we know he wants our joy to be full. There's no question about that either. So if there are strains in the marriage and they're both godly people, male and female.
They can say openly to the Lord, Lord, we're not happy, we're not getting along. They can both get down on their knees and they can say with open hearts, focus, show us what's needed so we can go on together as a husband and a wife, honoring the and counting upon.
By clear work that you join us together and to put it asunder one or the other of us would have to leave or divorce. That is man doing it.
So by faith, we consider the Lord, help us, show us what's needed now. We don't have to get involved with the marriage counselors. We don't even have to get involved with older men or women who have been married a long time. Every union is unique. There are two unique precious souls there, and their union is unique. But they have that power together on faith to say, Lord, you've joined us together.
We don't want it to go with Sundar. Help us.
And that is worth all of psychology counselors and what have you all put in one barrel and not worth anything. But the Lord is the one who can open your heart. And I might say this one more thing. If there is a couple that's that way, both of them in doing so have to do it acknowledging to the Lord beforehand and say Lord, if I have to change, show me and I will change, not saying I'm OK.
Change the other one you follow. But if they're both open hearted and they wanna please the Lord, he's gonna make it work.
Children are born. What should they see? What should they really see? They should see that daddy.
Loves mommy.
And that she is subject to him. That's just summarizes it just clearly from scripture. They should see daddy loves mommy and that and she loves to be subject to him, to honor him and take that place that is his. And then it'll be easy for them to take the place of subjection as well.
00:40:07
I'd like to read a scripture in the book of Titus. And before I do that, I just want to, uh, make a comment or two as to why I'm going to read this scripture. And that is that here in a setting like this this afternoon, it's the brothers that are free to take part as led by the Spirit of God. Uh, the sisters can't take part, of course, and that's right and proper in its order and scriptural, but there are many godly sisters here this afternoon.
And you godly sisters, have a responsibility in connection with what we've been talking about, because you have a responsibility to teach, not to teach in a setting like this, not to teach men, not to usurp authority over the man by teaching. But you do have a responsibility. I'm just going to read these verses in Titus chapter 2.
Verse 3 the aged women likewise that they be in behavior has becometh holiness, not false accusers not given to much wine. Now notice this teachers of good things that they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children to be discreet chaste keepers at home, good obedient to their own husbands that the word of God be not blasphemed. And so you sisters have a responsibility and I'm thankful.
That I have seen in my experience, godly sisters who have taken up this responsibility in teaching.
The younger sisters to do these very things that are brought before us. And I, if I remember there was a difficulty in an assembly one time was in connection with a younger sister and was a matter that needed to be handled delicately and discreetly. And it was brought to the attention of a brother or two. And these brothers very wisely said that they felt that it was the responsibility of an older sister or sisters in the assembly and that there were those who were capable.
Of taking up the matter with this young sister. And I'm happy to say that they did and the matter was, uh, taken care of and there was correction and, and so on. I believe that's God, the order. But I wanna say this is a warning that I don't believe we have a precedent in scripture for brothers, young or old, to take sisters aside and teach them privately and, and counsel them in these matters.
That I believe that's very, very dangerous. Make no provision for the flesh.
And so we need to be very, very careful. Again, God has an order. And I would just encourage sisters, if you see difficulty in another sister, something that needs to be addressed, that fits into the category, one of the categories that we've read here in Titus chapter 2. Seek grace to go to that sister and from the word of God in humility and grace to teach them to carry out these very practical things.
There's been many, uh, man who has been one to the Lord through, uh, his wife being submissive as unto the Lord and vice versa for the men too, where they love to his wife, even though unconverted or, uh, not, uh, what the spouse not walking according to God. And I just wanna go back and re emphasize in connection with these practical things that.
We've been discussing that it's been mentioned about saving marriages and being a good example for our children, and these certainly are worthy modis of discussing this whole subject. But brethren, we need to remember that the the really the highest motive of all this. And I I don't believe we've really arrived at the right point UN unless we see this that if I want to just.
Be submissive or my wife to be submissive to save my children or to or to.
Uh, save my marriage. I haven't risen to the real Rhode Island. The best reason yet. What's the best reason? It's the reason that my home is a testimony of Christ and his love and it I need to save my marriage for His sake.
So it says here in the wise to be submissive as unto the Lord, and likewise it says that about the husband loving his wife as Christ.
Love the church and so, umm, to me it gives real nobility to to to address these problems. Then we all have to deal with these practical things. We get tested on these things and as if we go through these tests in our relationship one with another.
00:45:20
With the view of what how I am portraying my my my savior and how I am given example to it.
For his sake.
It it really gives nobility to the whole cause. Uh, even beyond the other reasons too I think my brother mentioned. I love my master, my wife and my children. You get the order right there brethren. The master is a picture of God. The the Lord is to God and then his wife 2nd and the children 3rd and tho that's the order in God's word.
Hmm, just like to refer to a couple of scriptures to reinforce that it says in Hebrews chapter 3. I'm just gonna read a couple of verses there. In verse 13 it says or encourage one another daily while it is called today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers or companions of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end.
And so our brother Red and, uh, Genesis chapter 2 and I think it's verse 18, umm, I will make and help meet for him. And so we're made partakers or, or companions of the Christ. And so the home is to reflect that companionship and that loving relationship that Christ has with the church. And we are companions of the Christ as we walk through this scene and the church is evidence to.
The angelic beings and to those that are in this world as they observe the church subject to Christ and loving returning the affection of the Lord to the Lord. Now I want to just refer to Proverbs chapter 31. We often read this chapter and we think of, uh, perhaps very lightly if some of these words, but I want to read the first verse of Proverbs 31 and then.
The verse 30. The almost the last verse 12. Maybe we'll read the last two verses.
It says in Proverbs 31 That the words of King Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him. And then you read verse 30. Favor is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates. Lemuel means a man dedicated wholly unto God, and so his mother had taught him something of the word of God.
A man wholly dedicated unto God. And then the woman, she feareth the Lord. She's afraid to displease the Lord. She walks closely in communion with the Lord and doesn't want anything to break that communion with himself. And so you have a picture here of a man of God who walks in communion with the Lord. He's dedicated unto the Lord. And a woman that's dedicated unto the Lord, and they walk with the Lord together. I just wanna repeat what the brother Gordon Hale used to say.
Oftentimes many of us heard him speak at funeral or at weddings and he would say that it's a threefold court is not easily broken. And so it's, uh, the man or the husband, 100% for the Lord and the woman 100% for the Lord and both of them 100% together, 100% for the Lord. And so, you know, we're, we can reflect that companionship and I might say this.
That you know what the husband wants, what the man wants. He may not say it in so many words, but what he wants really is a woman that fears the Lord, you and I, that no, Christ is Savior. That's really what we want in our lives. A woman that is afraid to displease the Lord and she wants to walk in that godly order that is hers to walk in. And the wife, what does she want? She wants a man that's wholly dedicated onto the Lord and he walks in communion with the Lord. That's what she wants. She may not say it, but.
That's what her heart's desire is. And the husband doesn't want a wife, a real pretty wife and all that sort of thing. He made me appreciate her good looks and but that's not really what his heart yearns for. His heart yearns for her companionship and that she will walk in obedience to the word of God and love and affection for Christ, and that there will be that mutual, uh, just a reflection of Christ in the church, in the home. That's what she longs for.
00:50:04
Would that not be what it means to Mary and the Lord? It's, it's not just marrying a Christian girl or a Christian young man, It's marrying in the Lord. It's that one that you're going to have has the same desires and goals to please or Savior and wants to walk with him and you too will walk together. It is the the key that will hold marrying in the Lord. Now how do we know? How do we know we're doing that? We have to become very acquainted, both the man and the woman.
With Scripture, what does Scripture say? What is my place as a man? What is, uh, her place as a woman? I wanna read 1St Corinthians 11. We read some verses from it, but we didn't read the passage entirely. And let me just read it. It won't take but a moment. Uh, first Corinthians 11/3 but I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ and the head of the woman is the man.
And the head of Christ is God. So in the echelon, it's God, Christ, man, woman. It's not, as some have drawn it, God, Christ, man and woman coming. No, no, man and woman. You see the difference? The woman is not put in the same place as the man. And that's important. I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ. The head of the woman is the man. Christ, of course, is, is the Lord in, in his manhood.
And the woman is the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God. Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonor his head.
I've noticed in looking at the news and so on, and some of these conferences, President Bush has that the, the, the, the, the man, uh, whether he's a Jew or a Muslim, and that he always has his head covered, totally contrary to scripture. Every man praying or prophesying having his head covered dishonored his head. And again, the woman, she no longer.
Covers her head, just the opposite of Scripture. Every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered, dishonoureth her head. Who is her head? The man. For that is even all one, as if she were shaved. For if the woman be not covered, let her also be Shar.
I mean, take it all off like a basketball player has, and that's not for the glory of God. But it would be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaved, which it is. Let her be covered. And it's not the hair that covers her covering. That goes on to explain that for a man indeed ought not to cover his head, for as much as he is the image and glory of God, who is his head. Christ is his head.
If he covers that, he is dishonouring Christ. And if the woman doesn't cover her head, she's not showing the honor she showed to her husband. A man indeed ought not to cover his head for as much as he is the image and glory of God. But the woman is the glory of the man, For the man is not the woman is not of the woman, but the woman of the man.
Eve was taken from Adam's side. She came out of him.
He was created 1St and then she came to be his helper. The man is not of the woman, but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman, but the woman for the man. Now this is a passage that so many nowadays, even Christians don't like it. They say, well, he was just a bachelor and and he he had it in for women. That's that's just denying this is this is the inspired word of God we're looking at.
For this cause, ought the woman to have a a a symbol of authority, power on her head because of the angels. The angels are looking down. They should see that she manifests that position that is hers in creation. It's not headship. And that's Adam's place. She has her head covered that she's in subjection to.
Her head, which is the man, and he's in subjection to Christ, and Christ is in subjection to God. That's the order.
00:55:00
Nevertheless, neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man and the Lord. We need the woman to bear the children. And that's why that's put in there. For as the woman is of the man, Even so is the man also by the woman. She came from him. ** *** came from him in the 1St place. But then I was born of my mother, and you were two of yours. And so that's what's that it? And then he says.
As the woman is of the man, Even so is the man also by the woman. But all things of God judging yourselves. Is it comely that a woman prey unto God uncovered and we've come to the point it used to be when I was a boy and I didn't go to church or anything, but every time I'd see anyone going to to their church in that the women had head coverings always did, that is no longer the case.
Not only does she not cover her head anymore, and does she show her place of subjection to the man, but she's taken the his place by preaching. There can't be anything more contrary to scripture than those things.
The angels look down, they ought to see God's order in the man and the woman. The man doesn't have his head covered, otherwise he would be dishonoring his head. And she, she does have her head covered, covered to honor her head. Judging yourselves, Is it comely that a woman should prey unto God uncovered? Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a shame unto him?
That's not his place.
I remember.
At a, at a, a picnic, umm, it was in Denver and, uh, young people were running around and there was this young man there and he had a long hair went way down to his shoulders and that and I went and I sat next to him and I said.
You know you're having long hair is a shame and I read in this first.
Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? And he said, is that in the Bible? I said yes, and I don't read it again. I let him read the verse the next time. The next year I came there. He was there, but his hair was cut. His hair was short. He, he, he did what Scripture said. That's basically what we have to do. We have to bring the Scripture to bear. This is God's order. This is not an opinion of men or women.
It's God's order. If a woman have long hair, it's glory to her.
For her hair is giving her for a covering.
If any man seemed to be contentious, and there's nothing that's more contentious about than this particular subject, we have no such custom needs of the churches of God. But I wanna back up to verse seven. A man indeed ought not to cover his head for as much as he is the image and glory of God. But the woman whose head is covered is the glory of the man. She's the glory of the man, and her long hair is of symbol of that. And that's the teaching of Scripture. It's not my opinion. It's not your opinion. They don't count for anything. But what does God say? That's why.
The man and the woman. When you first get married, you should sit down and open your Bibles and read these passages that give man his place and the woman her place. And the woman does not have an inferior place.
She's not inferior.
Not at all, but she's in a different place than the man.
Hmm. Uh, I just say a word, if I may, on a matter of objection. What has happened in place for years is hem lift and white or women supposedly being liberated from the restrictions that Paul talked about here for the female. And that's clearly what it was. And I believe it's all satanically inspired.
But I point out something very practical. If you reach the age, you finish your education and you're employable and you're hired by a firm. The firm says, alright, your assignment is gonna be in this group and let's say it has several layers of management and so on, and you'll be in this group and this person is your supervisor. No, you're not there in a pace of subservience as the word was used before. You accept this very readily. You you don't even question it. You don't even say.
01:00:08
Well, I know I'm smarter than that person or better in some way or other. The company says that's your boss, you're the in that group and you go on with that. It has no effect. There's nothing of subservience in there or being in a place that needs liberation. Men and women going in the workplace except that readily. We all know it makes sense. Let me submit that starting right in Genesis, as has been noted that Eve was.
To help me for Adam.
What we have just had here in Corinthians is that man is the head of the house and the woman is to be subject to her husband Is this she's in the workplace. Nothing in there of subservience. God has set up this organization, if you will, of the family and that's the way he set it up and we should accept it just the way we wouldn't actually in the workplace. Now I'd like to fill it finish this little.
Interruption, if you will.
In this way.
God made man, created man, as we refer to, uh, right back to Genesis, he made the male and female. And if we look at that in a simple way, we say, OK, it needs the mail and the woman to, uh.
Uh, populate and that will result in a child and continue the race. But God expands on it and says it's not good for man to be alone. And he made a woman as a suited help meet for him. So right there he appointed the supervisor and he appointed the one who was working in that group, if you will. This is a would be in a large corporation. Now I'm gonna jump to the end of the whole scene now the whole world course.
And I'll point out along the way you'll never find.
When God was appointing spiritual responsibility, He never chose a woman. Throughout the whole test. All prophets were men when He set up the Jewish dispensation, all the priests and so on were met when the Lord Jesus came. Beg your pardon.
Well, yeah, prophet sign is foreselling the future. The Lord may have used them to do that. Every woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered to sign her with her head. I mean, but well, if we're gonna just a little bit more than on the Old Testament.
The two books named after a woman, women were both walking in this path that the Lord had. Ruth and Esther, very different ones. If you think about it, it's interesting. Ruth was a very humble Moabitess who came back with Naomi, who you know that, and she's married by Moab and LED right into the lineage of the Lord Jesus.
Boaz, Boaz, Boaz, thank you, my helper here. But when we came to Esther, what was that Esther replaced bash time who was fasten? She was the queen of the largest.
Uh, what is the word Kingdom or dominion in the world at that time and why don't you go?
When her husband wanted to do something, she rebelled and.
So we had a big concrete with his advisors and they got with her and she was replaced by Esther.
Who following the teachers of Scripture was a good subject wife, I just mentioned that in the Old Testament. Now going on into the New Testament to make this shorter, the Lord Jesus when he chose his disciples, never chose the woman to be a disciple to go out, uh, given delegated authority to go out, do healing and to preach, uh, repentance and so on. And, uh, take nothing and, you know.
And all those things.
And of course, it'll lead right on into the apostleship. No women. The Lord did that.
So the woman clearly through the whole scripture maintained what was set up right back with, uh, Adam and Eve. Now I'm gonna bring it quickly to an end. One of the things, and I believe it's seitanic now, trying to show that Paul was wrong and he changed his mind. I've heard this poll from me by a clergyman. Oh, Lu Paul. I said, who's new Paul? Well, old Paul wrote all this business about women being subject to their husbands, but new Paul?
01:05:11
Fiscalation 328, that's when Paul saw the light and said there's neither mail, you know, bonds are free of mastering servant or male or female. But what is there, and I think this is the key point of all this is what was established.
In uh, back at the time of Adam and Eve was for our course as human in this life.
Now just to add to that, we know that God, when he creates us, some of us are artistic, some of us are MU musical, some of us are athletic, some of us are smart and some of us are not so smart. Some of us become leaders and some become followers. God creates us, creates us all differently, and He makes it very plain. And this is the key to what I'm saying.
When the time of judgment comes.
He's not a respecter of persons. We know that he's not a respecter of persons. What does that mean? A king will be judged as a king. A pauper will be judged as a pauper. A farmer will be judged as a farmer.
Whatever he created individual that way will be judged on that basis, but males will be judged as males and females will be judged as females instead of in that place, but they'll all be judged equal. This is a wonderful thing. Look ahead to the glory. There's no gender in heaven, no gender in heaven. And I think about it in this way. I'm going to be.
The bride of Christ. I'm a male, but I'm gonna be the bride. But every believer is gonna be of the bride. Isn't that lovely? Heaven is not gonna be like earth. So at the end of the earthly path.
When we stand in judgment for God, who is true and justice, he says, alright, I made you a king.
Let's judge you in your path with the responsibility I gave you. You were a peasant walking behind the wooden plow. Judge you as to how you carried in on it. You were a servant. You were a master. Those are individuals. But males will be judged as males, females will be judged as females, as we find it in this wonderful book.
But that time we'll all be equal, equally valuable to Chrysler. In other words, he loves a woman as a distinct human created by him, just the same as he loves the man, just as the same as he loves the king, just the same as he loved that servant. Because God loves us all. We're all precious in his sight. But what he's done, and that's what we're talking about right now, is.
The basic role he's given us starting right back in the Garden of Eden.
And going up to the end of this age when we're going to stand before him in judgment, then he'll be escalation 328 where those who try and use this to explain that Paul got straightened out. Finally. It's ridiculous Paul that Paul was writing is the end of the story for there is neither male nor female bond nor free. All are the same in the Lord Jesus. So for us right now we have two things. I'm a male.
I'm married and I have children. I have that responsibility. I have a lovely life and I like the thought that was expressed before it was my gym. That woman was not made from Adam's feet or his head, but from his side to walk right next to him. And she has an intellect, see? She's a seated suited knight for him to help me so they can talk intelligently together.
Fully communicate, understanding each other.
But different physically. We know women are different physically than men. Emotionally they're different. And I always take great delight to think about. My wife's sensitivities are entirely different than mine. I characterize men, by the way, having a characteristics of big Navy battleship going through a rough sea but going on a straight course. But aluminum is like a little sailboat that feels every little ripple and knows what's going on.
And that's true. I mean, you think about it, women have a different level of sensitivity than men. But in the marriage union that mating is perfect for the family with the responsibilities that were given. So I just finished this up to say.
01:10:15
We're all on this earthly path. We're on the way to the glory. We in this room are surely blessed. We know Christ as our Savior and our Lord. We know.
That the weaknesses we have in the old nature now have been taken care of by his work in Calgary. We're on the way to heaven. We believe that if we believe what he's told us about our need of salvation, the evils of sin, His nature pure and holy, we believe that. We believe what he says about men and women. We believe what he says. He even gives us direction. Who are those who should in the Christian Conqueror Congreg congregation, the Assembly.
The characteristics of the men husbands of one wife consider Christendom today where they are advocating female clergy. I can remember as we were leaving one of the big denominations to walk in the path that's gathered Saints. I talked to the pastor I was leaving and where they had elders and I and now that we're getting women elders, I said how come one of your elders be the husbands of one life?
You know, just to use God's word, so simple and flame. So what we do, we walk in obedience to this, the light the Lord gives us male females, bosses, employees, all of those different things. Recognizing if I happen to be big and strong and can play basketball, the Lord needed you that way. If I can't do that, he may need that way if he made me so hard to play the violin or piano, so it was musical.
He may be that way. If you're pretty, a female, he may do that way. There's no reason for vanity because you are his product. But you are responsible and you're gonna answer to him. At the end of your pathway, the judgment seat of Christ, the wooden hay and suburb will be burned up. The precious things for Christ and your pet, your responsibility will be carried on into eternity. So thank you for listening. We've spoken a great deal about the family relationship and we've had to hang our heads and admit that we have seen the breakdown of it, not only in the world.
But right in the Christian, uh, sphere and the Christian profession, the Christian circle sometimes sad to see, say we see it amongst those gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. But brethren, we ought not to end there because I believe, as Doug, I think pointed out earlier, what we really have here is Christ in the church. And when Eve was taken from the side of Adam, God had something far, far greater in view than even the blessing and happiness of man on the earth.
It's true, he said. It is not good for man to be alone and he provided a helpmeet for Adam.
But what was God really looking on to by the time when his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, would have a bride and brother? And I think it encourages our hearts to realize that, yes, we see much failure. Yes, we see the breakdown of everything, every sphere and level of society in the world in which we live. And Satan has done a masterful job. But, you know, it's interesting that in Ephesians we find that Christ is incomplete.
Without his bride. I think that's a tremendous thing to consider. Just as Adam was incomplete without Eve, so the chapter, so Christ is incomplete without his bride. Because in Colossians you have what Christ is to the church. He's the head of the church, and we're incomplete without the head. But in Ephesians, and you can hardly take this in, He's incomplete without us. He.
He, he's the we're the the church is the fullness of him that filleth All in all. You get that earlier in the in the epistle. And so it's not what Christ is to the church. It's what the church is to Christ. Now to get the church in her beauty.
You have to go to her in her beginnings in the first part of the Acts or in her ending in the end or end of Revelation. In between is not such a beautiful sight, outwardly speaking. But brethren, he is going to present it to himself, a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing. And I'd like to suggest that we just go to the end of Revelation and read these verses just to lift our spirits, brethren, and to realize that we're going to be part, as you say, of the Bride of Christ.
01:15:05
We're gonna be part of a scene where sin is never going to interfere again. There isn't going to be the breakdown of anything. The things that we feel and see now and the breakdown there is now. It's not going to exist in the in in that day. Let me read first of all in the 19th chapter.
Revelation chapter 19.
Verse seven. Let us be glad and rejoice.
And give honor to him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife hath made herself ready. Well, brethren, we rejoice to be called to a marriage, especially has been said if it's a marriage in the Lord. And uh, we, we rejoice at that. But oh brethren, do our hearts rejoice to look on to the day when we are going to be part of the bride of Christ. I was at a wedding a week ago Saturday, and we all rejoiced to be there. And there were guests and different ones that had different functions.
But whose special day really was it? Who's Who shared the real joy of that day? Why, it was the bridegroom and the Bride, and you could see it on their faces. We all rejoiced. And brethren, when the marriage supper of the Lamb comes in a future day in heaven.
Who is going to share that special joy? You know, John the Baptist said he rejoiced because of the bridegroom's voice. John the Baptist is not going to be part of the church. He's not going to be part of the bride. He's going to be there and he's going to rejoice as a friend of the bridegroom. But brethren, to think that you and I who are part of the church, the bride of Christ, we're gonna be ushered past the angels, past Moses, past Elijah, past John the Baptist, of whom the Lord said there hath not risen to greater. And we're going to, on that occasion as it were, be ushered into the very presence of the bridegroom. And who is going to share the special joy?
Of that moment, oh, it's going to be the Lord Jesus first as the bridegroom and then the bride as the bride. But let's go over a page and jump ahead in time a little bit to a scene where there is no time. 21St chapter and verse one. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the 1St heaven and the first earth were passed away and there was no more sea. And I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, Jerusalem.
Coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride, adorned for her husband. Now just to get the context and the time frame here, we've jumped ahead now to the eternal state. This is the bride after she's been with Christ about 1000 years and she still viewed in all the freshness and loveliness as the bride. Oh, it's true. She's become his wife because the wife.
Seats of relationship and we'll be the wife of Christ for all eternity and there'll be a a deepening and an enjoyment of that relationship for all eternity. But we will retain our bridal freshness and his bridal affections for his bride will be maintained and retained for all eternity. That's why I say there will be no breakdown there. We see the breakdown now of the marriage tie and the family relationship. But brethren, let's be encouraged. We're going on to a scene where a bride for all eternity.
Will never lose her freshness to the bridegroom now if that doesn't motivate our hearts to to walk in the in obedience to the word of the Lord and and for the glory of God as the Church of God now then I don't know what goes on within our hearts. It ought to as we think of the fact that we're going to be part of this scene. And so brethren, what a day it's going to be the bride of Christ for all eternity that ought to motivate our souls to live for his glory now.